


Missyng You

by itssoverynicetomeetyou



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-06 04:52:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19055608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itssoverynicetomeetyou/pseuds/itssoverynicetomeetyou
Summary: The planet was desolate. It could have been a decade or a century since life had been busily bustling around. In fact, it had only been a week. She tended to have that effect on places.She slowly sashayed her way down what had once been a street, although now it resembled a scrapyard with heaps of metal scattered about. Occasionally, she would stop her dance and climb up a pile to survey the landscape, to see where she would go next.An achingly familiar sound filled the air and her breath caught in her throat before a wicked grin took over her face.Finally. She had a little more entertainment.What if Missy met a different incarnation of the Doctor before 12?





	1. Chapter 1

The planet was desolate. It could have been a decade or a century since life had been busily bustling around. In fact, it had only been a week. She tended to have that effect on places.

She slowly sashayed her way down what had once been a street, although now it resembled a scrapyard with heaps of metal scattered about. Occasionally, she would stop her dance and climb up a pile to survey the landscape, to see where she would go next.

An achingly familiar sound filled the air and her breath caught in her throat before a wicked grin took over her face.

Finally. She had a little more entertainment.

*****

“Come on fam,” the Doctor said, dragging a large box into the console room and throwing open the lid. “One each.”

“Oh not this again, Doc! Don’t you remember what happened last time?” Graham moaned when he saw the Doctor pointing at objects that vaguely resembled metal detectors.

“Please tell me we’re not on another junk planet,” Ryan said, eyeing the detectors with suspicion.

“Course not!” The Doctor replied cheerily. “This is Delabell, the shining metal city of the 43rd century. You can get anything here. Well, almost anything. Don’t think I’ve ever found the right element for my microwave, but then again that’s from the 51st century and Delabell only lasts to the end of the 43rd.”

“What happens?” Yaz asked.

“Nobody really knows,” the Doctor replied. “Just, poof. One day Delabell, the next…no Delabell.”

Graham reached into the box and pulled out one of the machines, grunting slightly at the effort. Ryan laughed and pulled one out himself, staggering under the weight.

“Careful,” the Doctor warned. “They’re heavier than they look.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Graham replied, but his eyes creased in a kind smile. The Doctor pulled the final two machines out of the box with not effort, handing one to Yaz.

“How-” Ryan started, only to get a wink from the Doctor.

“A Timelord has to have some secrets.” Grinning, she led the way to the doors and threw them open.

“Coo-ee! Doctor!” The Doctor froze at the voice, still in the doorway of the TARDIS. Ryan bumped into her and gave a small rebuttal, but he soon fell silent when he saw how still the Doctor was.

“I know you’re there, you know.” The voice continued. “There’s only one TARDIS in the universe with a broken Chameleon circuit like _that_.” A rattle of metal cascading over itself and a hysterical laugh. “Silly me, you’d have thought I’m newly regenerated with coordination like this.”

“Newly regenerated?” Yaz asked. Her voice snapped something in the Doctor and she sprang into action, spinning around to herd her fam back into the TARDIS.

“No need to stay here, let’s go find somewhere nicer, not sure why I brought you here anyway, not like I need another helmic regulator. I mean I do really need one, especially as we didn’t get one last time when we were on that junk planet but I’m sure I can fix something up to get us through another few journeys.” By this point, all four of them were inside and the Doctor was running around the console, her movements full of a desperate energy that none of the others had seen before.

“Who’s out there, Doc?” Graham asked, but he was ignored.

“Come _on_ ,” the Doctor muttered under her breath, frantically trying to speed up the take-off process.

Rat-tat-tat-tat

The Doctor gave one final lever a push, only to be showered with sparks. Reeling backwards, she looked up at the ceiling.

“ _Please,”_ she whispered. “Don’t make me go out there.”

Rat-tat-tat-tat

“Doctor? It’s me, Missy.” She said in a butter-wouldn’t-melt tone. “Why don’t you come out and we can have a little chat.”


	2. Chapter 2

Graham moved towards the doors.

“Don’t.” The Doctor’s voice was quiet, but the urgency in her tone made everyone jump.

“She said she regenerated, does that mean she’s like you?” Yaz asked.

“She’s nothing like me.” The Doctor spat.

“So you know her then? Cos she clearly knows you.” Ryan piped up. The Doctor shook her head.

“She doesn’t know this me. She knew an old me.” She turned a few buttons on the console and the screen flashed up a series of circles and dots. The Doctor’s face turned ashen. “And she hasn’t met him yet. I hope.”

“Doc, you’re not making any sense.” Graham said.

Rat-tat-tat-tat

“You do realise I can just open these doors if I wanted to? Just like I did when I built the paradox machine. What would happen if I did that again, do you think?” The smile in the voice set the Doctor’s face into pure anger as she strode across the console room and yanked open the door.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Missy fell quiet for a second before a wolfish smile crept back onto her face.

“Well _hello_.”

“Missy, turn around and leave. I’ll do what I can to fix this, but you need to leave now.”

“I’m hurt, Doctor. No shock at seeing your oldest friend pop up in a new body?”

“I’ve met you before.”

“Ah, timelines. Didn’t you have a bit of bother with them and that wife of yours?” Missy winked. “Talk about drop-dead gorgeous.”

“I said leave.”

“You’ve got some new pets, I see.” Missy said, craning her neck to catch sight of the three humans. “This is going to be fun.”

The Doctor stepped forward and closed the TARDIS door behind her.

Yaz, Ryan and Graham all ran forward, Yaz pressing her ear against the wood of the doors to try and hear what was being said.

“Who is she?” Graham asked. Yaz curtly shushed him before putting her ear back to the door.

“We used to be such friends, you and I,” she made out a fragment of Missy’s conversation. Not that it made any sense. How could the Doctor have been friends with someone who made her so angry now?

Yaz heard the click of the latch just in time to push everyone back from the doors. A woman in purple Victorian garb and a terrifying grin eyed them carefully.

“He’s a little old, don’t you think?” Missy said, pointing her umbrella at Graham. “I’d never travel with someone over 200.”

“You know the deal, Missy. They’re off-limits.” The Doctor ground out.

“I’m only talking about him.” Missy said in affront.

“Off. Limits.” The Doctor sighed and flicked her eyes over her fam. “Stay here, I’ll be back soon.”

“No! We want to come with you.” Yaz protested.

“Of course you do,” Missy turned a smile at the Doctor. “See? They want to come. You have to let them now. Otherwise that high-and-mighty speech about freedom and whatsnot will be entirely hypocritical.”

“She’s dangerous, Yaz,” the Doctor pleaded.

“No more dangerous than you, dear friend.” Missy looped her arm through the Doctor’s. “Pets, heel.” When the humans didn’t move, Missy let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t tell me you haven’t even trained them?” She tutted. “Oh well, no time like the present.” She dragged a mute Doctor away. “Come along!” She called back to the others.

Yaz couldn’t help herself. Curiosity, dogged loyalty, fierce devotion, call it what you will. She followed dutifully with Ryan and Graham two steps behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, Doctor, how long has it been for you?” Missy asked as they picked their way amongst the rubble.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“Must be different to have all that hair. Last time I saw you, you had it all short with that ridiculous quiff.” She gave the Doctor a once-over. “Still have the same taste in coats I see. Although I think blue suits you much better than that drab brown thing.” The Doctor gave a wry smile.

“That was a long time ago.”

“How long?” Missy shot back. The Doctor sighed.

“Faces ago. Happy now?”

“Oh so I’ve missed one?”

“Yes. No. Argh, how is it so hard to keep spoilers from you?”

Yaz watched as the Doctor clenched her fists and swung them against her sides.

“What do you think they’re talking about?”

“I’d say let’s get closer and find out but- ah” Ryan cut himself off as he trod on a piece of metal that slid away from under him. Graham grabbed his arm and hauled him upright.

“Let’s keep it slow and steady, eh?” The loud clatter drew the attention of the Doctor who stopped and turned to look back at her fam.

“Oh come _on_ Doctor, if you lose one of them you’ve still got the other two. It’s a half-decent idea actually, to carry spares.” The Doctor glared back as Missy.

“They’re not spares, they’re people. They’re my friends.”

“You always say they’re friends but they’re more than that, aren’t they? The way you look at them sometimes.” Missy trailed off, lost to her own thoughts. “I had that with Lucy, once. For a while, at least. We were almost happy together until she began to hate me. Then it went the way these things always do. They get mad, they pull a gun, they shoot me. Always with the shooting. You know, I’m coming around to your view of guns. Terribly messy way to get rid of someone. Far easier to just wipe their brain.” The Doctor turned her back on Missy to hide the hurt on her face.

“We’re fixing this, and then we’re leaving. Got it?” Missy pouted at her back.

“But I’ve already played with all these toys. I want new ones.”

“They’re not toys, Missy. They’re living beings, or were until you came along. They had every right to life that you do.” The Doctor rounded on her old friend, raising her voice to a shout. Missy was taken aback and stared into her friend’s eyes, searching for an answer.

“Why do you care so much?” The Doctor sighed and closed her eyes.

“Because it’s kind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Lolol and MsRandom for commenting and spurring me on!  
> Just a short one here, mainly because this felt like a good place to end the chapter, not because it's going to stop. Deffo want to keep going with this.  
> Are you getting all the references?


	4. Chapter 4

“What do you think happened here?” Yaz asked as they picked their way along. The metal had slowly given way to rubble as they’d made their way from the street to where there had once been buildings.

“It looks like it’s been bombed. Reminds me of those documentaries about the Blitz.” Graham replied.

“Do you think it’s safe?” Ryan asked. “You know, what if there’s radiation or something?”

“That wasn’t the Blitz, Ryan.” Yaz replied.

“I know that. I’m just saying. This is another planet. What if their bombs are worse?”

“I’m sure the Doc would tell us if it wasn’t safe.” Graham pointed out.

“Yeah, but…” Ryan trailed off.

“What?” Yaz asked sharply. Ryan looked at her guiltily.

“You heard what the other woman said. ‘No more dangerous than you.’ What do you think she meant? She clearly knows the Doctor way better than we do.”

 “You can’t say that.” Yaz shot back, trying to ignore the sting of tears that came at the insinuation that the Doctor wasn’t the person she thought she was. “How can you say that? After all she’s shown us?”

“All I’m saying is that there’s more to her than we’ve seen. What about when that Dalek turned up?” Ryan said defensively.

“Hold on, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” Graham tried to calm them down but his words fell flat. If he was perfectly honest, he’d been thinking the same thing.

“You saw what she did with that air corridor. It was going to take my dad, and she was going to let it.” Ryan’s voice raised to a shout.

“It was dangerous! You saw what it was doing, she couldn’t just let it go, it would just have come back.” Yaz shouted back. “Did you not see how scared she was when she found out it was a Dalek?”

Missy turned to the Doctor, an eyebrow raised.

“Scared of a Dalek? You?” She stopped and looked at the Doctor thoughtfully. “How you’ve changed, dear friend.” The Doctor stopped with Missy, taking a step closer so that she could talk without being overheard.

“You know me, Missy. You know that wasn’t what I was scared of.” Missy cocked her head to one side, indicating for her companion to continue.

“I… I made a promise as I became this me. I promised to be kind. The Daleks, they bring out another side of me. A side that isn’t kind, a side that I hate.” She looked up at Missy and was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes.

“A side like me?” Missy asked quietly. The Doctor didn’t reply. Missy turned away quickly, blinking hard.

“I don’t remember what I told myself as I became this me. I have a vague memory of getting to my TARDIS, and my side hurting like hell,” she gave a hollow laugh. “I’d like to meet whoever made me hurt like that.” She paused once more. “Next thing I remember was putting on these clothes. I don’t even remember choosing them. It’s like someone else decided who I was going to be, then just left me alone. I’ve no idea what any of this means,” she gestured at her dress. “I’m alone, Doctor. I don’t have the comfort of a promise to fall back on.” Hesitantly, the Doctor closed the gap between them and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“You have me.” Missy laughed.

“You hate me. You just admitted it.” The Doctor rested her forehead against Missy’s shoulder.

“You still have me. We’re the ones the Timelords left behind. No matter what happens, we’ll always run into each other. The universe isn’t big enough for the two of us to never meet.” Missy chuckled.

“After all they did to me, I always wondered if I’d be rewarded, somehow. But they just left me alone, with no hope of ever seeing them again.”

“Without hope, without witness. Without reward.” The Doctor mused to herself.

“Hmm?” Missy asked, turning to face her friend. The Doctor gave a tired smile of dismissal.

“Spoilers.” She gave Missy a squeeze on the arm, relieved that she could share her true feelings at last. The seeds of goodness were in there. Maybe her last self would manage to cultivate them better than she gave him credit for.

Yaz, Ryan and Graham stomped up behind them, avoiding each other’s gaze in angry silence.

“Alright, fam?” The Doctor turned to them with a smile.

“Can we get this over with?” Graham said grimly. “What are we trying to do, anyway?” The Doctor’s smile fell from her face like a stone. Missy’s eyes lit up and a wolfish grin crawled up her face.

“Isn’t it obvious? Your Doctor is trying to fix this place up, make it good as new. Pretend nothing happened.”

“What did happen?” Graham asked tiredly, wary of the slender fingers that were sliding up his jacket and pulling him closer.

“I blew it up,” Missy whispered in his ear. She pulled back suddenly. “I don’t think I ever introduced myself to you.” She threw a sarcastic glance at the Doctor. “Not like you’d ever do that.” She looked back at the three humans and extended her hand for Graham to shake.

“I’m Missy, the Doctor’s best friend in the whole universe.” She gave Yaz a wink. “I’m also the person who blew up this city.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos are HUGELY appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

“There you are!” Yaz jumped as Missy launched herself at her from behind a boulder. “I’ve been so looking forward to having a little girly chat with you. I tried to have one with the Doctor but he’s been a man so long I don’t think he’s got the hang of it yet.”

“She’s perfectly good at being herself.” Yaz said, peeling herself out of Missy’s grasp. “That’s all she ever needs to be.” Missy let out a laugh and looped her arm through Yaz’s.

“So, how long have you two been together?” Missy leant in and adopted a conspiratorial tone.

“Oh, no, we’re not, um,” Missy interrupted her by laughing so hard she fell into Yaz and the two nearly went sprawling on the ground.

“Already? Oh, my dearest Doctor, I’ve never seen you move so fast.” She wiped a tear from her eye. Yaz frowned. “Oh, dear, surely you don’t think you’re the first one? The Doctor always travels with pets. And always,” she reached over and trailed a finger along Yaz’s jaw. “Always with a young and pretty one.” She pulled her hand away sharply and started moving forward again. “Ends in heartache every time, mind. The Doctor has to live on. I think it hurts her almost as much as I do.” Missy looked back at Yaz and grinned. “Almost.” Her eyes flicked to the two figures further behind and raised her voice to a shout. “Come on slow coaches! Don’t you want to see what I’ve done?” With that, she let out a maniacal giggle and danced down the road.

Graham looked up at the shout, but Ryan kept his eyes focused on the ground.

“Be the better man,” he muttered to himself. He’d barely said a word since Missy had introduced herself. Graham had tried to ask the Doc but he didn’t get further than her name before she’d dropped her gaze and fled. She was at the head of the group now, leading the others to god only knows where. And yet, Graham mused, they still followed her. He wondered what that said about them.

He quickly changed his train of thought.

The Doctor stomped ahead, not daring to look behind her. She wanted to go back and explain everything to them, but her feet kept pushing her forward. Running away, all over again. She promised herself when this was all over she would explain. She could only hope her friends would listen.

She pulled up short at a sudden change in the scenery. She was standing in what must have once been a park; the grass now blackened and the trees listing sideways with rot. But something else was different. Before, amongst the rubble, there hadn’t been any signs of the people that had once lived here. Now she could see where they had been. The park was littered with bodies, mostly humanoid but with a blueish tinge to their skin.

The Doctor felt something brush past her and she turned to see Yaz running forwards, checking each body for signs of life.

“Yaz,” she started to say, but her voice failed her. What could she say?

Missy stalked up behind her; the Doctor didn’t need to turn around to know she was there. She could almost feel the pride radiating off her.

“I thought it’d be nice if they were all together.” Missy murmured. “You know how sentimental people get at the end.”

By now, the others had arrived. Graham knew just by looking that there were no survivors and his heart broke to see Yaz going to each one and checking. He hurried over to her and enveloped her in a hug, holding her head to his chest so that she didn’t have to see the horror any more. Ryan couldn’t hold his anger anymore and rounded on Missy.

“How could you do this? These were people! They had lives! What gave you the right to take it away?” Missy looked taken aback, then pulled on a little smile.

“It’s no less than what the Doctor has done.” The bottom dropped from the Doctor’s stomach and she avoided Ryan’s gaze.

“That’s not-” Ryan stopped. The Doctor’s actions were speaking far louder than he ever could.

“Whole armies turn and flee at the mere mention of her name. How do you think that came about?” Missy said.

“Doctor?” Ryan asked, pleading for it not to be true. The Doctor’s mouth went dry.

“Only when I had to. I always gave them a choice.” Missy gave a little laugh.

“You think I didn’t give them a choice here?”

“How is what you offer a choice?” The Doctor said angrily, fire in her eyes. “Die quickly or die slowly?”

“Every living thing in the universe is dying slowly, my dear.”

“Stop it!” Yaz shouted, making everyone jump; no-one had noticed her and Graham’s approach. She turned to the Doctor and softened. “This isn’t who you are.” Missy opened her mouth to reply but Yaz silenced her with a glare. “You said she knows a previous you,” Missy smirked and this time it was Graham who glared at her. “But she doesn’t know _this_ you. I do.”

“You don’t even know her name.” Missy laughed.

“Seriously man, shut up.” Ryan said.

“You’re kind and caring.” Yaz continued, ignoring the exchange. “You always try to do the right thing, no matter how hard it is. When everyone else would turn and run away, you stand your ground to protect them. And even when facing your worst nightmare, you gave it a choice. If it had wanted to, you would have let it leave.”

“You’re talking about the Dalek? She never would have-” She stopped abruptly as Ryan swung his fist and caught her squarely in the jaw. She staggered back, clutching it, and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Ryan,” the Doctor warned, but her eyes were smiling. “You’re my fam,” she turned back to Yaz. “All of you. You show me the best of humanity and remind me of who I want to be. Never cruel, never cowardly. Never fail to be kind.”

A retching noise made her turn to see Missy pretending to throw up.

“Well that’s more than enough soppiness to last a lifetime.” She turned to the Doctor and smiled. “I should thank you. I won’t… but I should. I just want you to know that.” She stepped forward and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. The Doctor stiffened. As Missy pulled away, she gave a wicked smile. “Oh, that gives me _so_ many ideas.” With that, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a wide black leather bracelet, wrinkling her nose as she did so. “Cheap and nasty, but it will get me to where I need to be.” She winked at the Doctor. “See you around, Doctor.” She pressed a button and was gone, leaving a metallic smell in the air.

The four stood in silence for a while, watching the space where Missy had been standing. Eventually, Ryan spoke up.

“Did anyone actually understand what she meant?” Murmurs of agreement rumbled from the others.

“Unless.” The Doctor said, suddenly very still. The three looked at her. “Unless.” She repeated, before sprinting off back the way they had come, leaping over boulders, her coat flying out behind her. “Please let me be right. Please, just this once, let me be right.”

When the others finally caught up with her, she was already spinning around the TARDIS console.

“Hold on to something,” she instructed, and pulled down a lever.

The journey was over almost as soon as it had begun. Yaz, Ryan and Graham were still holding on to the crystal pillars tightly, waiting for their heads to stop spinning, but the Doctor bounded out of the doors.

Outside was a beautiful landscape. Trees gently swaying in the breeze surrounded by a carpet of blue-purple grass. Insects buzzed and hovered around small flowers that stood in perfectly kept flower beds. Just ahead was a small stone pillar, circular symbols carved into it.

“What does this mean?” Yaz asked, walking over to the pillar and tracing a circle with her finger.

But the Doctor didn’t reply, her gaze caught by a figure on the horizon. A figure in a long skirt and a ridiculous hat, leaning heavily on an umbrella. The Doctor nodded and the figure nodded back before turning and limping out of sight. Her fam’s conversation washed over her as she watched her oldest friend leave her. Perhaps a tear rolled down her cheek, perhaps it didn’t.

All she knew that somehow, somewhere along their time together, she’d got her message through.

Missy was kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so that was a long chapter, but it just made sense to me. I hope this fic has been enjoyable to read, if a little sporadic in its updates!  
> *cue grovelling to get comments and kudos*

**Author's Note:**

> I may leave this as a two-shot, I may continue it. I have a bare-bones outline of what it could be if it was extended but I'm not sure if it needs it.  
> Basically, I just wanted 13 and Missy to meet because who doesn't?


End file.
